Port St. Joe, Florida
/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port_St._Joe,_Florida
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Family speaks out after loved one gets infected by flesh-eating bacteria
By Isabella Benjumea
Published: Aug. 29, 2025 at 7:57 PM CDT
PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - Ben West has been fighting for his life in a Bay County hospital after getting infected with Vibrio Vulnificus.
...
Ben’s family said he got infected with Vibrio Vulnificus on Saturday morning after they went crabbing and mullet fishing
underneath the intercoastal passover bridge, when entering Port St. Joe from Mexico Beach
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On Thursday, the Florida Department of Health at Bay County sent out a
health advisory of possible fecal bacterial contamination in the Port St. Joe shoreline area due to a recent sewage spill.
There is a no-swim advisory to residents and visitors between the eastern shipbuilding location and Butler Bay Road, and 432 Howard Road in Port St. Joe.
The advisory said it shows contamination of enterococci bacteria, not related to Vibrio Vulnificus.
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https://www.wjhg.com/2025/08/30/fam...d-one-gets-infected-by-flesh-eating-bacteria/
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Vibrio vulnificus Vibrio vulnificus
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Vibrio vulnificus is a bacterium that normally lives in warm seawater and is part of a group of vibrios that are called “halophilic” because they require salt.
Vibrio vulnificus infections are rare.
Vibrio vulnificus is a naturally occurring bacteria in warm, brackish seawater.
Water and wounds do not mix. Do not enter the water if you have fresh cuts or scrapes.
IMPORTANT: Individuals who are immunocompromised, e.g chronic liver disease, kidney disease, or weakened immune system, should wear proper foot protection to prevent cuts and injury caused by rocks and shells on the beach.
Confirmed Cases of Vibrio Vulnificus [TABLE="border: 1"]
[TR]
[TD]~[/TD]
[TD]2023[/TD]
[TD]2023[/TD]
[TD]2024[/TD]
[TD]2024[/TD]
[TD]2025[/TD]
[TD]2025[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]County[/TD]
[TD]Cases[/TD]
[TD]Deaths[/TD]
[TD]Cases[/TD]
[TD]Deaths[/TD]
[TD]Cases[/TD]
[TD]Deaths[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Alachua[/TD]
[TD]1[/TD]
[TD]0[/TD]
[TD]3[/TD]
[TD]1[/TD]
[TD]0[/TD]
[TD]0[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Bay[/TD]
[TD]1[/TD]
[TD]0[/TD]
[TD]1[/TD]
[TD]0[/TD]
[TD]2[/TD]
[TD]2[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Brevard[/TD]
[TD]1[/TD]
[TD]0[/TD]
[TD]5[/TD]
[TD]0[/TD]
[TD]0[/TD]
[TD]0[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Broward[/TD]
[TD]3[/TD]
[TD]1[/TD]
[TD]1[/TD]
[TD]0[/TD]
[TD]3[/TD]
[TD]1[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Charlotte[/TD]
[TD]2[/TD]
[TD]1[/TD]
[TD]4[/TD]
[TD]1[/TD]
[TD]0[/TD]
[TD]0[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Citrus[/TD]
[TD]2[/TD]
[TD]1[/TD]
[TD]3[/TD]
[TD]0[/TD]
[TD]0[/TD]
[TD]0[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Clay[/TD]
[TD]0[/TD]
[TD]0[/TD]
[TD]1[/TD]
[TD]0[/TD]
[TD]0[/TD]
[TD]0[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Collier[/TD]
[TD]1[/TD]
[TD]0[/TD]
[TD]1[/TD]
[TD]0[/TD]
[TD]1[/TD]
[TD]0[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Dade[/TD]
[TD]0[/TD]
[TD]0[/TD]
[TD]0[/TD]
[TD]0[/TD]
[TD]1[/TD]
[TD]0[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Duval[/TD]
[TD]2[/TD]
[TD]1[/TD]
[TD]4[/TD]
[TD]2[/TD]
[TD]1[/TD]
[TD]0[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Escambia[/TD]
[TD]4[/TD]
[TD]0[/TD]
[TD]4[/TD]
[TD]0[/TD]
[TD]2[/TD]
[TD]0[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Flagler[/TD]
[TD]0[/TD]
[TD]0[/TD]
[TD]0[/TD]
[TD]0[/TD]
[TD]1[/TD]
[TD]0[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Hernando[/TD]
[TD]1[/TD]
[TD]0[/TD]
[TD]4[/TD]
[TD]1[/TD]
[TD]0[/TD]
[TD]0[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Hillsborough[/TD]
[TD]4[/TD]
[TD]2[/TD]
[TD]8[/TD]
[TD]2[/TD]
[TD]2[/TD]
[TD]1[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Lee[/TD]
[TD]4[/TD]
[TD]0[/TD]
[TD]5[/TD]
[TD]0[/TD]
[TD]1[/TD]
[TD]0[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Leon[/TD]
[TD]1[/TD]
[TD]0[/TD]
[TD]2[/TD]
[TD]0[/TD]
[TD]0[/TD]
[TD]0[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Manatee[/TD]
[TD]1[/TD]
[TD]1[/TD]
[TD]1[/TD]
[TD]1[/TD]
[TD]1[/TD]
[TD]0[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Martin[/TD]
[TD]0[/TD]
[TD]0[/TD]
[TD]0[/TD]
[TD]0[/TD]
[TD]1[/TD]
[TD]0[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Okaloosa[/TD]
[TD]4[/TD]
[TD]0[/TD]
[TD]1[/TD]
[TD]1[/TD]
[TD]1[/TD]
[TD]0[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Palm Beach[/TD]
[TD]0[/TD]
[TD]0[/TD]
[TD]2[/TD]
[TD]2[/TD]
[TD]0[/TD]
[TD]0[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Pasco[/TD]
[TD]2[/TD]
[TD]1[/TD]
[TD]5[/TD]
[TD]1[/TD]
[TD]0[/TD]
[TD]0[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Pinellas[/TD]
[TD]0[/TD]
[TD]0[/TD]
[TD]15[/TD]
[TD]3[/TD]
[TD]0[/TD]
[TD]0[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Polk[/TD]
[TD]1[/TD]
[TD]1[/TD]
[TD]1[/TD]
[TD]1[/TD]
[TD]0[/TD]
[TD]0[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]St. Johns[/TD]
[TD]0[/TD]
[TD]0[/TD]
[TD]0[/TD]
[TD]0[/TD]
[TD]2[/TD]
[TD]1[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Santa Rosa[/TD]
[TD]0[/TD]
[TD]0[/TD]
[TD]2[/TD]
[TD]0[/TD]
[TD]2[/TD]
[TD]0[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Sarasota[/TD]
[TD]6[/TD]
[TD]2[/TD]
[TD]2[/TD]
[TD]0[/TD]
[TD]0[/TD]
[TD]0[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Seminole[/TD]
[TD]1[/TD]
[TD]0[/TD]
[TD]2[/TD]
[TD]2[/TD]
[TD]0[/TD]
[TD]0[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Sumter[/TD]
[TD]0[/TD]
[TD]0[/TD]
[TD]1[/TD]
[TD]0[/TD]
[TD]0[/TD]
[TD]0[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Volusia[/TD]
[TD]0[/TD]
[TD]0[/TD]
[TD]2[/TD]
[TD]0[/TD]
[TD]1[/TD]
[TD]0[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Walton[/TD]
[TD]0[/TD]
[TD]0[/TD]
[TD]2[/TD]
[TD]1[/TD]
[TD]1[/TD]
[TD]0[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Total:[/TD]
[TD]46[/TD]
[TD]11[/TD]
[TD]82[/TD]
[TD]19[/TD]
[TD]23[/TD]
[TD]5[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]
[SUB]
Updated 9:36 a.m. ET, Thu Aug. 28, 2025[/SUB]
https://www.floridahealth.gov/diseases-and-conditions/vibrio-infections/vibrio-vulnificus/index.html